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Ranger
Nominally, a Ranger is an outfitter, a guide, a teacher, and a mentor—a person who takes on a crew of young adventurers, leads them into the Philmont mountains, and points the way until they are ready to function on their own. The Ranger welcomes and orients crews, helps them pare down personal and crew gear until each person has a manageable load. Once on the trail, the Ranger introduces the crew to local conditions and methods of low-impact camping, and reviews essentials of camping, hiking, first aid and safety. The Ranger may point out the trail the first day or so, but the real objective is to ensure that the crew can find its own way. The beginning of each summer, Rangers are provided a framework consisting of a fieldbook, training, and methods. But these tools are not everything needed for the camping season. Rangers have to add life through their own personality and experience. Rangers defined are budding adults with variety and distinctiveness. The department exudes group spirit. The opportunity to serve as a Ranger is a small window, though abides throughout life. Their impact reaches thousands. The Ranger may also convey something of the "magic of Philmont"—of the beauty and wonder of the mountains, the varied flora and fauna, and the history that lies strewn about in the form of old mines, overgrown railroad beds, and the tumbledown ruins of logging camps. In reality, the experience of being a Ranger is more than the job description. Rangers are known for their high spirit and a can-do, will-do attitude. In the face of hardship or challenge, they are more likely to be energized than discouraged or defeated. If needed to clear trail after a blowdown, fight a wildfire, search for a lost camper, or carry a litter off a mountain, they are ready. The shared experience of being a Ranger has a way of creating lifelong friendships and forging bonds of understanding, even among Rangers of different eras. The experience can produce a syndrome—probably incurable—characterized by feelings of pride, exhilaration, nostalgia, and longing, lasting years or even decades. It is a phenomenon that can prove baffling to spouses and acquaintances who haven't been there, but it mostly leaves old Rangers remembering cherished friends and places, and thinking, "I wanta go back to Philmont—where the old Rayado flows . . ." Beginnings of the Ranger Staff Part of the challenge to Philmont's managers stemmed from a steady increase in participation. During the off-season, Philmont professionals toured the nation, visiting local councils to convey the Philmont story and promote attendance. By this time, travel to the remote location was easier and attendance increased significantly. Stays of three weeks or more were no longer practical, and the ranch could hardly afford to have a staff member remain with each crew for the duration of its visit. In the fall of 1956, the Director of Camping Jack Rhea tackled the challenge of developing a program to properly train crews. He created a committee of senior staff members to brainstorm a solution. A key volunteer selected was Clarence E. Dunn, an elementary school principal from Arlington, Texas, who had served on staff since 1945. For the last several seasons, Dunn had served as personnel administrator for seasonal staff, selecting applicants to work at the ranch. The committee spent extensive time studying available camping areas, crew needs, and other challenges. One conclusion of the committee was to develop expeditions, in which crews could continue to plan their own itineraries, but with better guidance and organization from the staff. According to Rhea, "As numbers grew the need for more staff increased. We could not find enough qualified applicants from areas we had been using. Philmont became better known all over the Scouting movement and we began to get applications from many places. The major problem now was that many of the better qualified Scouts could not afford the cost of transportation to the ranch. So we decided to start paying our staff members. When this happened we began to find older, more experienced Scouts and some adults applying for positions." Retired attorney Bill Dailey from Moline, Illinois, remembered being encouraged by his Scout executive to apply for the 1957 staff. "I had been on the local council camp staff for five summers and after encouragement was elated to be accepted as a Ranger. I had been a camper in 1952 and was familiar with the organized trek routine. The ranch wanted to develop a concept that allowed flexibility and a quicker entry into the backcountry. Of course the theory of it all and the long range objective were not all that certain or understood when we began the summer." E. O. "Buzz" Clemmons joined the ranch administration as the Director of Program and took on the task of screening applications and hiring staff. Dunn understood the ranch operation and the importance of properly led and equipped expeditions. As an educator, he also understood the needs of youth. A second conclusion by the committee was that young men with strong Scouting backgrounds would be able to relate well to participants and had an opportunity to be positive role models. "It was decided to call this new department Rangers. I know of no special reason why this name was chosen," remarked Rhea. Clarence Dunn was selected to lead the new department and was given the title Chief Ranger, a position he held through 1970. Dunn selected, trained, and supervised the Rangers. He selected Assistant Chief Rangers to help administer the department. As he observed the results, the positive impact of the Ranger program was evident. }} Much was expected of Philmont's Rangers. Training in the backcountry emphasized outdoor camping methods, Dutch oven cooking, use of map and compass, emergency response and treatment of simple medical problems, and general camp procedures. The preferred backpack was the "Bearpaw." "The front folded down and the sides opened from the middle to each side," Dailey explained. "The sleeping bag was folded and placed against the back of the pack. The sides of the pack were then strapped across the bag. The bottom front of the pack then was folded up and over and strapped to the top part of the frame using a diamond hitch. A top flap then folded over the top. There were loops to store an axe along the side. We didn't use hip belts or even pads on the shoulder straps. Eventually I scrounged some sponge rubber and sewed some pads to the straps." }} Ranger training was conducted in the Ponil Canyon. In addition to Dunn and Rhea, the training staff included ranch legends Doc Loomis and Ray Bryan. Doc Higgins and Wes Klusman from the national office also participated. Klusman was the Director of Camping for the Boy Scouts of America, a gregarious campfire leader, and a legend of sorts in Scouting. According to collected archives, the first day's training consisted of a shakedown and a conditioning hike. The second day the entourage hiked to Pueblano, followed by a cross-country hike to Dan Beard on the third day. Camping skills training continued, and on the fourth day the group hiked back to old Five Points for a buffalo banquet preceding a return to Camping Headquarters. }} Dailey recalled that after camp opened someone went to Raton and returned with a cowboy hat. "Soon most all of us got one and it became the symbol of the Ranger along with our axes. One of the Rangers from Texas ran across a tin star with Texas Ranger on it. He filed the word Texas off, leaving the word Ranger. We then did the same and ended up wearing the cowboy hat with the "Ranger" star on the front. The star I wore is at the Seton Museum." Based on recollection of original Rangers, many traditions familiar to Rangers are traceable to those early years. Dailey reminisced about trail meals, consisting mostly of dehydrated items. "The trail menu was the same and not rotated. Consequently we had to eat the same food all summer. It wasn't long before we couldn't take it anymore. We began to carry canned food, peaches, and even meat. Later in the summer we would supervise the preparation of the meal, have a taste to be sociable, then sneak off and eat some ‘real food.' At the end of the season I carried cans of hamburgers and onions. I would open the hamburger can and put it on the fire and dice up the onion into the can. I lived on the combination for the last three weeks." From the outset, Rangers became motivators, preparing campers for the rugged experience ahead, both physically and mentally. Over the course of that first summer, Rangers began tracking their crews and took pride in the ability of "their" crews to finish what they had started with no loss of crew members. Renowned artist Norman Rockwell's painting, "High Country", was rendered during a visit to Philmont Scout Ranch. The canvas shows six young men prepared for the great outdoors and headed towards the Tooth of Time. The painting was presented in 1957, the year the ranger department was organized. Sources Category:Content